Sacrificing Dreams
by Luffy For The Day
Summary: All the crew shows an undying loyalty towards their captain, wheater they like to show it or not, but just how far will this loyalty go? Could it even lead to the unthinkable...death? Takes place after Skypiea


Author's Note: Okay, this is going to be my first One Piece story so bear with me if the characters seem sort of wrong. I'm trying to you got to give me credit for that. Anyway read on and enjoy.  
  
Roanoke  
  
The rising sun sparkled off the water as the Going Merry hoped along the waves, with its hood ornament, a customary rubber-man, sitting on the goat head cheering them on. Just coming off their latest adventure everything seemed to be back to normal with Sanji making breakfast do to Luffy's constant badgering for meat, Nami planning out the day's journey, Ussop running around fixing the never ending list of problems with the ship, Robin and Chopper reading books, and Zoro already taking his early morning nap. Nothing new for the Straw Hat Pirate crew.  
  
The weather then changed, liked it frequently did on the Grand Line, and snow began to shimmer down from the seemingly cloudless sky. After a significant amount had precipitated onto the deck, Luffy gathered a handful off the rail and packed it into a nice tight ball. He turned around, clearly intending to throw the snowball at someone, when an even bigger ball smashed right into his face.  
  
"Got ya! HAHAHA! The great Captain Ussop strikes again!" Ussop had his hands on his stomach as he arched his back backwards in his uproarious laughter. Suddenly a snowball zoomed right in front of his head, almost taking his nose with it. He looked in the direction it came from only to find his childish captain throwing snowball after snowball at him, his rubber arms windmills on each side of him. Ussop snaked his body into some very awkward positions to dodge the snowballs, sometimes even jumping high in the air to dodge the blasts. At last Luffy's supply of snow finally diminished.  
  
"Haha! Now its my turn!" Ussop knelt down and created one of the hugest snowballs he'd ever seen in his life. But before he could stand, a knee in his back knocked him face first into a giant pile of snow.  
  
"That's not fair! I didn't attack you Luf." Ussop looked up, expecting to see the grin of his foolish captain, only to be met by the sneer of a very angry, and very white Zoro.  
  
"So this is your idea of fun is it? Attacking swordsmen in their sleep? I'll show you." Zoro menacingly walked over toward Ussop as he scampered to get away from the frightful menace.  
  
"I swear it wasn't me! It was." Ussop had glanced over toward Luffy only to find him rolling on the deck in laughter. Also, there was absolutely no snow around him. Luffy had set him up. When he had thought he was just skillfully dodging all those shots, each one had been aimed to either hit him or Zoro, and his plan obviously worked.  
  
"And it was?" Zoro asked, each step bringing a closer, meaner look.  
  
"Uh.. Sanji!" Ussop pointed directly behind Zoro, who turned and looked in the direction the finger indicated.  
  
"Sanji isn't." It didn't matter though, for Ussop had already disappeared from Zoro's eyesight. "When I get my hands on you." Zoro sped off in search of Ussop, pain clearly intended upon capture, leaving a breathless Luffy still rolling around on the deck.  
  
"You know, if Zoro wasn't so thick sometimes you'd be in trouble." Nami smiled as Luffy sat up, still beside himself with laughter.  
  
"So where's our next destination?" Luffy got up and made his way to the kitchen to pester Sanji some more about the hole in his stomach.  
  
"An island call Roanoke, about a days trip away too so we won't be sailing long." Nami was following Luffy for she was hungry too, but she knew, unlike Luffy, that she would get her food whenever she wanted.  
  
The door to the kitchen suddenly swung open right before Luffy knocked, slamming him into the wall of the cabin with the force. A heart- eyed Sanji came out with a platter of fruit, "For you my dear Nami, I knew you would be hungry." Nami gratefully took the food, while Luffy pushed the door off of him and looked at his cook.  
  
"What about me?!"  
  
"Here." Sanji haphazardly tossed Luffy a sandwich, which he ate in one bite. Immediately Zoro was behind him, salivating, hands in front of him waiting for his food as well.  
  
"You too," Sanji tossed a sandwich to Zoro, who stepped back to catch it, only to watch horrified as it was intercepted by a rubber arm. As the arm snapped back to its owner's mouth, a fist hit the back of his head causing the sandwich to fall.  
  
"What'd you do that for?!" Luffy cried out.  
  
"That's my sandwich," Zoro grabbed his sandwich and ate it all in one bite, before his childish captain could try and steal it again.  
  
Sanji looked down at his platter, noticing there was still one sandwich left. Hmm. I know I gave one to Robin and Chopper, and then thing 1 and thing 2 down here, who am I forgetting? Oh yeah. "Where's long nose?"  
  
"Oh, him? Don't worry, he won't be eating for a while." Zoro replied with a wicked grin.  
  
"You sure?" Luffy asked, a schemes glint in his eyes. "Positive."  
  
"Okay then I want his sandwich!"  
  
******************************  
  
Ussop crawled to the edge of the crow's nest and peeked over. Good, he left. Ussop turned around and leaned his back against the wood, unconsciously rubbing a bruise on his arm. If it hadn't been for that ketchup star I don't think he would have ever stopped. I'm really going to have to hurt Luffy for this one.  
  
Ussop stood up, intending to climb back down from his hiding place, only to see a small blur far out in the ocean. He flipped his goggles down, which acted as binoculars, and smiled with a small hope of safety. It was an island, which meant a lot of room, which meant he could get away from Zoro.  
  
"LAND HO!" His voice echoed through the ship, and everyone ran to the front of the ship to see if they could glimpse the island.  
  
"Wow, I didn't expect we'd be getting here this fast, I thought it would have been at least another 12 hours minimum, but now that's down to about an hour, two tops.  
  
"What's they island called Nami-san?" Sanji asked, just begging to here her speak more.  
  
"Roanoke, Roanoke of the Hawk." Robin answered, slightly annoying Sanji. At the same time Zoro's back stiffened slightly, and he edged backwards just a little. No one noticed though, they were too busy trying to make out the island that Ussop had spotted.  
  
"This island is famous for its many unique stones, it's even said to hold the strongest metals in the world, along with some of the oldest rock formations in the Grand Line. I can't wait to land." Robin stared at the island longingly. Luffy then hoped up onto the head of the boat and sat.  
  
"Sanji, make us some food so when we get to the island we can go exploring. Nami, go see if you have any maps of this island. Chopper, go get a medical bag together so you can go with us exploring. Robin, go see if you have any information about this island that might be useful to us, and Ussop, run, because Zoro spotted you."  
  
"What?" Ussop replied, then turned his head to see a green-haired menace charging at him. "AHHHH!" Everyone sat for a second and watched the spectacle, then set off to do there assigned tasks.  
  
*****************  
The boat gently came to a stop in a small river, where they decided to drop anchor. The island seemed to be another desert island, sand covered much of the ground even though trees could be seen off in the distance. It didn't seem quite as hot as Arabasta, but the temperature was still above normal. Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Chopper hoped off the ship onto the land.  
  
"We'll be back soon, we just want to go explore a little bit before we dock in a city. We shouldn't be gone more then a couple hours, and hopefully we'll find meat!" Luffy started to run off towards the trees, with the Robin and Chopper close behind. Zoro seemed to be just a little more hesitant to go running off, something just didn't seem right, but if his captain was going to he would follow.  
  
"Don't worry Nami, I'll protect you from anything that comes! Is there anything I can do for you?" Nami smiled, it was nice to have someone serving on you whenever you wanted.  
  
"Sure, make me a drink and some suntan lotion." Sanji's eyes got wide and he took off toward the kitchen then storage room. Nami laughed inwardly, I really shouldn't tease the poor sap like that but sometimes it's just too much fun. She then went into her chambers to change.  
  
When Sanji came back out onto the deck his eyes quickly grew even larger, for he had spotted Nami, who was lying in a chair in a small pink bikini. Blood slowly came out of Sanji's nose, and he started to run towards Nami, only to be stopped suddenly by a sharp noise coming from the island. His head snapped towards the trees where a whole bunch of birds suddenly flew into the air. God, what are they doing?  
  
Unbeknownst to all of them, a one-seated coffin shaped ship, with green flamed candles and a black sail, bumped gently against the shore on the other side of the island, and its lone passenger slowly began to make his way across the island.  
  
***End of Chapter 1*** A/n: Hope you all liked it, constructive critism, praise, or suggestions all welcome.  
  
One Piece Trivia to keep you busy: As everyone knows, Sanji was known for being one of if not the best cook in east blue, but who was his boss?  
  
Until next time..  
  
Luffy 


End file.
